


if we knew all along (why did it take so long)

by glazedsun



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: M/M, Other, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-03 05:09:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17277665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glazedsun/pseuds/glazedsun
Summary: “It’s fucking hilarious,” Dylan smirks. “Really, Barzy. Magic dick soul bonds?”Mat groans, falling back onto his bed with a flourish, letting his phone hit his chest before picking it back up.“Well then tell me what it means, because I don’t like this. I don’t know what is happening!”Dylan shakes his head, and Mat can tell that he is stuck between amusement and genuinely wanting to help a friend. “Look,” he says, calmer, “you know that people can have more than one soulmate, right?”-or, Mat freaks out over the whole idea of having a soulmate, tries to run away, and becomes an even bigger mess.





	if we knew all along (why did it take so long)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blueorangecrush](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueorangecrush/gifts).



> if you are or know anyone mentioned in this story, TURN AWAY. it's a work of fiction!
> 
> i was so excited to see this pairing requested, i've been dying for an excuse to write them. i hope i did them justice, i played with the style more than i usually do, so i hope you enjoy this!
> 
> thanks to c for helping me figure out an idea for this story and a way to make it work. this was also inspired in part by the poison garden at the blarney castle in ireland and some legends i found there. and thank you SO much to the mods of this exchange for being patient with me while real life was kicking my butt and creating delays for me posting this.
> 
> the title is from "so long" by niall horan.

“What if, like, sex with me is just so magical that anyone I sleep with is automatically bonded to me?”

When the only response that Mat gets from Dylan is just loud laughter, he frowns, glaring at his phone. He’d had this genius idea to call Dylan because, well, he’d been traded to the Hawks. Where Alex was. And Alex had just turned 21, so Mat just had to know if they were all _soul bonded_ yet, because he’s just an awesome friend like that.

Also because he was freaking out about the whole _soul bond_ thing. There was that, too.

Right about now, though, he’s wondering if he should have gone to someone else. Someone older, wiser, maybe… someone who wasn’t a twat who laughed at him.

He gives a loud, insufferable sigh when Dylan doesn’t show any signs of calming down, snapping, “Dyls. I’m serious. This isn’t funny.”

“It’s fucking hilarious,” Dylan smirks. “Really, Barzy. Magic dick soul bonds?”

Mat groans, falling back onto his bed with a flourish, letting his phone hit his chest before picking it back up.

“Well then tell me what it means, because I don’t like this. I don’t know what is happening!”

Dylan shakes his head, and Mat can tell that he is stuck between amusement and genuinely wanting to help a friend. “Look,” he says, calmer, “you know that people can have more than one soulmate, right?”

“But at the same time?” Mat asks, his voice getting higher with panic. “They’re my _teammates_ , Dylan. I can’t just… what the fuck?”

“Date them both?” Dylan supplies for where Mat cut himself off. “Why not?”

Mat groans, wishing that he was in the same room as Dylan so he could throw things at his absolute idiot of a friend. “What part of they are my _teammates_ did you miss?”

Dylan rolls his eyes. “So sit them down and talk about it, idiot. You might be surprised.”

“Who died and made you the great wisdom,” Mat mutters, rubbing at his eyes.

“You called me!”

“Shoulda called Fabbs.”

“Fuck off!” Dylan yells, looking offended for a minute before laughing as well.

Mat snickers, shaking his head in amusement. “Better get going, don’t want to leave your _soulmate_ waiting on date night.” He’s pleased when Dylan’s face turns red and he gets all embarrassed. They say their goodbyes, and Mat drops his phone back down, sighing and throwing his arm over his eyes.

How the fuck did he get himself in this situation?

=

To be fair, it’s entirely Mat’s fault. Okay, not _entirely_. _Mostly_. If anyone were to ask Mat, it would be like… oh, 84.6% his fault. The important thing is that it’s not 100%.

(In his eyes, anyway.)

The night of his twenty-first birthday, he wasn’t even thinking about the whole _soul bond_ thing. Relationships were the last thing he was looking for. Honestly, Mat wasn’t sure if he really even bought into the whole soul bond thing; it just seemed so… _final_. So… _controlling_. The thought of a little mark on the skin that supposedly controlled his destiny and fate just seemed like the total opposite of anything he’d ever want.

So, like. At the time, in Mat’s defense, he absolutely wasn’t even thinking about the timing. It didn’t even occur to him that marks began appearing at age 21.

All he wanted was to drink, to be with his friends, get laid, and then get back to training.

So when Tito, of all people, surprised him and showed up at the party… well. Shit happens, as they say.

A couple drinks with friends turned into a couple more, and as time went on he became looser, and even more flirty than normal. He was hanging off Tito, whispering in his ear and giggling, Tito laughing just as loud and happy.

“I’m so glad you came,” he murmured towards the end of the night, as the festivities died down. “Didn’t think you’d make it.”

Tito smiled up at Mat. His lips practically brushed against Mat’s skin when he spoke, making Mat shiver. “Wouldn’t dream of missing it. Not the big 2-1.”

Mat rolled his eyes and laughed at Tito. “I’ve been legal to drink here for ages, 21 doesn’t mean much in Canada.”

“Shut up,” Tito laughed, shaking his head and stepping back. He took Mat’s hand, leading him to the door. “Come on, let’s get you home.”

“Do you really want to be accosted by Liana?” Mat smirked, laughing at the face that Tito made.

“Good point,” Tito laughed. “Let’s go back to my hotel room.” Mat wiggled his eyebrows, making Tito laugh more and roll his eyes. “Come on, idiot.”

So, really, the fact that he and Tito end up naked in bed together really isn’t _entirely_ Mat’s fault.

-

It’s not until a few days later that he even notices anything is different. He’s training with a few of his buddies when one of them pokes at his back. “Dude, when did you get that?”

“Get what?” Mat asked, frowning and straining to try and look at his back to see what could possibly have changed.

“Oh dude, so that’s not a tattoo? That’s a pretty fucking sick soulmate mark, then.”

“WHAT?!” Mat yelped, voice squeaking a bit in his panic. “Show me!”

Sure enough, there on his back were two trees, their trunks and branches intertwined together. “What the fuck,” he whispered, staring at the picture with wide eyes. Shit, he’d even forgotten that was like, a possibility.

He wasn’t, like… no. He didn’t want a _soulmate_.

Fuck.

This couldn’t be happening.

“Congrats, man,” he heard, barely feeling the pat on his shoulder as everyone started to head out.

-

So maybe, when Mat panics, he’s not the smartest cookie in the box.

Instead of, like. _Talking_ to Tito or anything… he just hid.

It’s not like he ignored Tito. Just… didn’t bring up the soulmate thing. Or, like, the naked thing at all.

(Though he wouldn’t mind it happening again. It was pretty great.)

They just… get caught up in training and getting ready for the season.

So really, it’s not Mat’s fault.

-

Training camp started with a flurry of Mat trying to figure out where the hell he was going to live. Sure, the Seidenbergs invited him back to stay with them, but with Dennis being on a PTO, it was all a bit up in the air. Besides, Mat was 21 now, he could totally handle living on his own.

Well, he wouldn’t mind moving in with Tito. It’d be a fucking blast, but like… they would probably also kill each other. Or, rather, Tito would probably kill Mat. So there was that.

And Mat rather valued his life, so they should probably just stick to being road roomies.

So, he did the best thing he could think of: asked Jordan for help.

Of course, Mat forgot that the price of asking Jordan for help was having him rag on Mat the whole time, but really, it was a small price to pay. There was just something about spending time with Jordan that Mat enjoyed; it’s why they always sat together on planes and busses.

And, well, there’s also the fact that Mat was very attracted to Jordan Eberle.

Any excuse to spend time looking at him was one that Mat was 100% going to take.

Who could blame him for getting a little handsy as the afternoon progressed on? It wasn’t _really_ his fault that things happened the way they did. Jordan was flirting back, after all, so it was only natural for one thing to lead to another.

Who could blame him for making out with Jordan Eberle on the couch?

-

Mat was still unsure where, exactly, things with Tito stood. They still weren’t talking about his birthday, but they still hung out a lot. It was fine that they didn’t talk about it, in Mat’s opinion, because really it wasn’t possible for Tito to be his soulmate. Mat wasn’t ready for a soulmate, and if Tito hadn’t mentioned anything… well, maybe it was all a mix up. He hadn’t seen any kind of mark on Tito’s body, but he was also a Good Friend and tried not to stare (too often) when Tito was half naked in the locker room.

He didn’t want a boyfriend, or a relationship, or any of that. The idea of him already having a soulmate freaked him out.

So, really, who could blame him for encouraging the making out to progress to fooling around and eventually sleeping together?

-

A few nights later, Mat laid in Jordan’s bed, scrolling through Instagram, waiting for Jordan to get off the phone and come back to him. He looked up when Jordan walked back in, his eyes unashamedly running up and down the length of the man’s naked body.

“See something you like?” Jordan teased as he got into bed next to Mat, laying on his side.

“Yeah, your dick,” Mat replied, tossing his phone onto the table next to the bed. He winced when it hit with a loud thud, knowing he probably cracked something else on the phone. Oh well. More important things. He pulled Jordan on top of him, wrapping his legs around him and leaning up for a kiss.

“Impatient today,” Jordan laughed after they broke from the kiss, smirking down at Mat.

Mat rolled his eyes. “Shut up and fuck me.” He stared at the curve of Jordan’s throat when the man threw back his head to laugh, eyes roaming over the muscles moving in his skin and then over his back.

His eyes widened when he noticed, prominent on Jordan’s left shoulder blade, two trees entwined together.

That had not been there the first time they slept together. One of their first nights together, he’d taken his time exploring Jordan’s body, kissing every inch of it.

There had not been trees there before.

What the _fuck_.

“You good?” Jordan murmured, his lips close to Mat’s ear, making him shiver.

Mat’s actually starting to freak out. But he really shouldn’t let Jordan figure that out. Instead, he closed his eyes to swallow his panic down and just nodded. “Yeah, good, fuck. Got distracted by your body there.”

Jordan snorted, shaking his head and continuing where they left off, distracting Mat enough that he could get out of his head and focus on something _other_ than the trees on Jordan’s back.

And if, when they’re done, and Mat did what he does best, then is it entirely his fault?

No, it’s absolutely not his fault that he had to run.

(Okay, it is, but he’s not going to admit that.)

-

Mat gravitated toward other people on the team as the season started, not having any clue what to do about those damn trees. It had been confusing enough when he got the trees after sleeping with Tito; seeing the same trees on Jordan’s back really fucked with his head.

So he and Jordan stopped sleeping together. Neither of them really talked about it happening, it just sort of… did. It was easy to blame on getting distracted by the start of the season.

The distance between them after Mat ran from both Tito and Jordan showed, too, with the line of the three of them not connecting as well as usual.

It was stressful, with the team trying to get used to new management, new coaching, and new teammates.

He was starting to get into his head over the game and over the awkwardness between him and two of his best friends. It was a terrible cycle, where he’d be so stressed over the game that he’d get frustrated and pull back even further from Tito and Jordan, but then his distance from the other two would affect his game.

Weeks went by, and the team started to settle more in place, but he was getting tired of the weirdness. He kept trying to act like nothing had happened, but he was starting to see that maybe wasn’t the best of ideas.

Plus, it seemed like Tito and Jordan were getting close, and, quite frankly, Mat was a bit jealous and a bit intrigued.

So that’s basically how he got himself in the situation of freaking out on the phone to Dylan Strome over soulmate marks.

=

After Mat hangs up the phone, he sighs. This is ridiculous. It’s almost the holidays. He doesn’t want to go into the break with tensions between him, Tito, and Jordan.

But could Dylan be right? Could he have… _two_ soulmates?

Mat frowns a little, standing up and going into the bathroom. He pulls off his shirt and turns to try and look in the mirror at where he knew that the two trees were. Only… wait a minute. Mat grabs his phone, doing his best to snap a picture of the mark.

There are _three_ trees now.

What the fuck.

He sends the picture off to Dylan, then immediately goes on to Google.

After a bit of digging, Mat discovers that the trees are probably yew trees. According to legend, when two yew trees grow tangled together, they contain the souls of a couple who was killed because society did not approve of their love.

He can only imagine what would have happened with _three_ lovers.

Three _male_ lovers.

So this was, like… way deeper than Mat ever expected.

Like, from everything he understands about the soul marks and soul mates, it was all about just finding a perfect match, that person you’re meant to be with. He’d never heard anything about like… reincarnation and all that.

Every other soul mark he knew about was just like… something they had in common. Like, Dylan and Alex had freaking _otters_ because they’re ridiculous and disgusting like that. The marks didn’t always have a deeper meaning.

But he’d never really… had any attachment to trees. He didn’t think either Jordan or Tito were particularly tree aficionados.

So that meant theirs were all about the meaning.

That it was like… fate that they’d find each other. That he sat down and spoke French to Tito. That he immediately went to Tito to take care of him when he was injured. That they were on Team Canada together. That they were _drafted_ together.

That Jordan was traded to the Islanders.

That he took them under his wing last season, helping them grow into the players and people that they’d become.

There was fate, and then there was _fate_. Mat was realizing that it was absolutely _fate_ with the three of them.

Fuck. _Fuck_. Okay.

When he checks his messages, he’s got three from Dylan.

_dude._

_talk to them!!!!_

_or else._ _😊_

Mat rolls his eyes at that, sends the middle finger emoji, and then spends five minutes debating whether to send a message to Jordan and Tito individually or together. Do they both know he slept with both of them?

In the end, he sends off a message to each of them and then heads down to the lobby, needing to get out of his room and hopefully keep from freaking out.

It wasn’t really working.

“Fuck,” Mat whispers to himself when he gets to the bar and sees Jordan and Tito sitting in a booth together in the back corner. Not only are they fully engaged in conversation, but they’re… flirting? Yeah, they’re definitely flirting, and that is… not at all what Mat expected to see.

Nor did he expect to have the sight bring a soft smile to his face instead of filling him with raging jealousy.

He’s about to turn around and leave when he hears Jordan call his name.

“Get your ass over here, Barz,” Jordan says, motioning for him to join them.

Mat hesitates for only a moment, then sees the warm expression on both of their faces and crosses the room.

“Finally owning up to what happened, huh,” Tito teases Mat as he slides into the booth next to him, holding up his phone with the text from Mat on the screen.

“Shut up,” Mat grumbles, grabbing Tito’s beer and taking a swig of it in retaliation.

Jordan and Tito both laugh, and Mat sighs loudly before settling in, a content smile on his face.

Turns out that both Tito and Jordan have three trees on their marks, too.

-

Mat doesn’t think he’s ever been happier than the night they’re heading back after the last game before the Christmas break. Tito’s taking stupid videos of him, and Mat’s taking pictures of Jordan looking incredibly unimpressed with the two of them, and everything feels right in the world.

He’s got his boys for Christmas, and what better gift could there be?


End file.
